Thursday, May 23, 2013


Principal’s Blog

 
May 23, 2013


Senior Farewell

We have had an incredible two weeks of activities as we began the process of saying goodbye to the Class of 2013.  There are so many traditions in place to help us transition our seniors to their place as Mercy alumnae, and so many involve food!!!   Mercy women certainly know how to celebrate accomplishments.

 
Ascension Thursday/Senior Farewell Mass

On May 9 we began with our Ascension Thursday Mass which would also be the last school Mass attended by the Class of 2013.  Their junior sisters who are peer ministry candidates helped to prepare the Mass.  A special blessing was prayed over the seniors and charms given to them of words such as Faith, Hope, Love, Friendship.
 




Junior Prom

With the theme of the New York City Skyline our Junior Class really outdid themselves in preparations and decorations for their Junior Prom.  The Juniors looked beautiful and a great time really was had by all!
 






Academic Honors Assembly

On Tuesday, May 14 we gathered as a school community to honor the academic achievements of our student body.  There were over 20 Book Awards presented as well as numerous academic department awards.  We also had students who received prestigious awards such as:


The Rensselaer Medal which is awarded to a promising student who has distinguished herself in the areas of mathematics and science.  This award guarantees a minimum $15,000 per year scholarship for each Medalist who applies, is accepted, and chooses to enroll at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.  This year’s recipient was Alexandra Caudullo.


The Elmira College Key Award is sponsored by the Elmira College Alumni Association. The Key holds a monetary scholarship value of $15,000 per year upon enrolling at Elmira College.  The Elmira College Key was awarded to Abigail Nagy. 

 
The National Society of Women Engineers presents an Academic Achievement Award in recognition of three years of excellence in science and mathematics.  This award was presented to Rachel Dziatko and Julie McLaughlin

 
Our Seniors will receive their awards at the Baccalaureate Mass which will take place on Sunday, May 26.
 


Senior Tree Dedication
A tradition at Mercy High School that goes back many years is that of the Senior Tree Dedication.  As I arrive each morning I walk by a tree that has a tag noting that it was dedicated by the Class of 1990.  This tree is tall and beautiful and on Thursday, May 16th I was able to participate in the dedication of the tree for the Class of 2013.  It is a way of showing the rootedness of each class that graduates from  Mercy High School and how they are always a part of us here.  What a wonderful ceremony and I look forward to watching this tree grow as proud and strong as the others I see.




Spring Concert
Also on Thursday, May 16th we had our Spring Concert which included presentations by our various music ensembles, the Concert Choir, Chamber Choir, Choralations, Wind Ensemble and “No Man’s Jazz Band”.  What a wonderful evening of music!  The Chamber Choir performed one song dedicated to the children of Sandy Hook which they have been chosen to sing at the State House in Hartford on June 5th.  We are very proud of Mr. Link and all our young women performers.
 







Theater Arts Performance

The Fine Arts Curriculum at Mercy also includes a class on Theater and this semester they wrote, and performed in their own version of Cinderella.  Students, with the help of their teacher Ms. Morse, were able to share their work by performing for some of the students at St. Mary’s School in Middletown.  Thank you to Mrs. Peck and all at St. Mary’s for being such wonderful hosts!  To see a video of the performance click here:  Theater Arts Cinderella

 
Governor’s Scholar Award

Each year, the Connecticut Association of Schools and Big Y World Class Market, collaborate to coordinate the Governor’s Scholars Program.

The purpose of the program is to recognize and to honor academically talented high school students throughout the state, and to present thirty students for special recognition to the Governor of Connecticut. Congratulations to Emily Hall who was selected as one of these thirty scholars in the state.  Here is a picture of Emily with the Governor of Connecticut and the other awardees.




Seniors Last Day

Friday, May 17th was the last class day for our Seniors.  What a wonderful day filled with the celebration of friendship, farewells and class stepping up.  The seniors began their day decorating their cars and eating breakfast in the parking lot!  It was a beautiful Spring day and at noon we gathered the entire school for a picnic on the grounds.  We ended the day with a Spirit Assembly where our class officers were inducted and the Seniors and others entertained.  The assembly ended with each class taking its new designated place in the auditorium.
 






Graduation Rehearsal

This week the class of 2013 is returning for their graduation rehearsals.  On Tuesday, May 21st the Alumnae sponsored a breakfast for them to welcome them into Mercy Alumnae membership.





Upcoming Events:

·         Safe Graduation:  On Thursday, May 30th there will be a Safe Graduation Party for the Mercy and Xavier Class of 2013 Graduates at Wesleyan University.  The cost of the evening is $50 and permission slips can be found in the Mercy High School main office.  Thank you to all the parent volunteers who have worked so hard to make this evening possible!

·         The Mercy High School Basketball State Championship Banquet will be held on Thursday, June 6 at 6:30 p.m. at Mercy High School.  Please come and help us celebrate the team’s success!  Click here for more information and to register:  Mercy BasketballBanquet
 
·         21st Annual Mercy Golf Classic:  The annual Golf Classic will take place on Monday, June 10 at Lyman Orchards Golf Club in Middlefield.  All proceeds benefit the Mercy Scholarship Fund.  For more information and to register click here:  Mercy Golf Classic
 
·         Book Buy Back and Rental Return:  Will occur in the Multipurpose Room:
 
June 5, 2013 – 9:00 a.m. – noon
June 6, 2013 – 10:00 a.m. – noon
 
Buy Back:  Students bring in books they own for purchase by Follett (usually a check is issued and sent to the student/parent at their home address sometime during June)
Rental Return:  Students bring in the books they rented from Follett
For more information click here:  Book Buy Back
 
·         Fall Sports Physicals:   Avoid the August rush for a sport physical.  We will be doing sports physicals on June 3rd and June 6th at 12 noon. You must sign up beforehand and we are limited to 25 per day. To register, please call the nurse, Mrs Romegialli. The August physicals are on the 5th and 7th. They also are 25 per day. Please call to reserve a spot.
 
 
·         Monday, May 27th is Memorial Day – School Closed
        Wednesday, May 29 – End of Term Four
        Thursday, May 30 – Mercy Graduation – No School
        Friday, May 31st – Final Exams Begin

 
Be Well.
 


 



 

 

Wednesday, May 8, 2013


May 8, 2013

Principal’s Blog

 
Spring has Sprung!

We have had some beautiful days to enjoy these past two weeks as the weather is finally warming!  As the school year comes closer to the end, the activities are numerous!
 
National Library Week

The week of April 22nd was National Library Week.  There were a number of activities planned throughout the week including a Book Discussion on The Fault in Our Stars by John Green which took place on Thursday that week.



Senior Prom
It is most definitely prom season and I may be biased, but I think our young women at Mercy really are at the top when it comes to classy dress.  They were all beautiful and I’ve never seen so many matching dresses and vests &ties!! It was a beautiful night at the Aqua Turf and fun really was had by all!






Art Show

This past week student art work has been displayed throughout the building.  There are examples of student work from all our art classes.  There are photographs, ceramics, paintings and drawings displayed throughout the halls of Mercy.  We have decided to extend the time that the artwork will be displayed so be sure and stop in to see what our young women have done.
 




May Crowning

On May 1st we held our annual May Crowning.  The veil this year was donated by Mr. Giles D’Orvilliers father of alumna Ms. Anne D’Orvilliers  ‘71 and handmade by Mrs. Betsy Spiro   We enjoyed having so many young visitors with us for this special tribute to Mary.
 
 



Grandparents Day

Due to the overwhelming response of grandparents who came to our past May Crowning events, we needed to create a day special for them alone!  So on May 2nd we welcomed nearly 300 grandparents to Mercy for breakfast and a specially prepared prayer service.  It was great to see the pride on the faces of our young women as they introduced their grandparents to their friends and members of the Mercy community.
 



Congratulations to Chamber Choir and Wind Ensemble!

The Mercy Chamber Choir and Wind Ensemble competed at the Six Flags Music in the Park Competition this past Friday at Six Flags New England. The Chamber Choir placed first in the Women’s Choir category and placed 2nd overall. The wind ensemble placed 5th in the band category. The girls enjoyed a beautiful day in the park after the competition.
 



Congratulations to the following winners of Latin Exam Awards!

 
NATIONAL LATIN EXAM AWARDS
MEDALS AND CERTIFICATES
2013

 
LATIN I

                                Allison Wojciechowski                                     Gold Medal  Summa Cum Laude
                             Michelle Reinert                                               Silver Medal Maxima Cum Laude
                             Julia McQuade                                                  Magna Cum Laude

 LATIN II
                                Savanna Hajdasz                                              Silver Medal Maxima Cum Laude
                                Maggie Qiu                                                        Magna Cum Laude
                                Talia Staiger                                                       Magna Cum Laude
                                Christine Cammisa                                           Magna Cum Laude

 POETRY III
                                Emily Hall                                                           Silver Medal Maxima Cum Laude
                                Madeline Kumm                                               Cum Laude
                                Julia Marcin                                                       Cum Laude
                                Simone Jaros                                                     Cum Laude

 POETRY IV
                                Alice Ochterski                                                Silver Medal Maxima Cum Laude

 





Mother/Daughter Breakfast
 
On Sunday, May 5th we celebrated another tradition here with the Mother-Daughter Mass and Brunch.  What a beautiful day and special time for all our young women of Mercy to share with these significant women in their lives.


 
Upcoming Events:
 
·         AP Exams began on Monday, May 6 and will continue through Wednesday, May 15.  We will be administering 13 AP exams this year.  Good luck ladies and study well!
·         Senior Activities:
·         May 9 – Ascension Thursday and Senior Farewell Mass
·         May 15 – Senior Class Photo
·         May 16 – Senior Tree Dedication and Yearbook                          Distribution
·         May 17 – Seniors Last Day
 
·         Our Juniors are preparing for their prom which will take place here at Mercy on Saturday, May 11 from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.  I know they have been busy preparing and planning with their theme of a New York Skyline. 
 
·   Our annual Spring Concert will take place on Thursday, May 16 at 7:00 p.m. in our auditorium.
At the Spring Concert the drawing of the Education Raffle will take place.  There is still time to purchase a Raffle ticket:  Education Raffle
 
·         The Athletic Banquet will also be taking place soon on Saturday, May 18 at 2:00 p.m.  This banquet is for all Mercy students and their families who participated in or managed a sport during this year.  To purchase those tickets go to:  Athletic Banquet 
  •  Please follow the following link for a "Call to Action" regarding funding for Catholic School bussing:  Call to Action
Here are a few pics of tennis, lacrosse and golf! We’ve had some beautiful Spring days to compete and enjoy sports!
 




 
 
Be Well.